WHO SAID the British worker was lazy? Over the last few weeks, an impressive array of Men In Hard Hats have dug up what feels like every single street in West Greenwich, one at a time.
No road appears too insignificant to be turned into a trench. And rather like the Jehovah’s Witnesses with new converts, no road completed is seen as simply an achievement in itself – but more as a God-given opportunity to dig up the next one.
But why are they actually doing this? Is it some sort of Doris Salcedo-style art installation? Is it MI6, still looking for those missing Iraqi WMDs, following “compelling intelligence” that Saddam Hussein secretly buried them beneath Ashburnham Grove? Nobody seems to be displaying anything as boring as a sign telling us, so on your behalf, I have tried to find out.
First stop is Greenwich Council’s exciting, interactive new streetworks database, recently launched to tell you everything you need to know about the hole-makers. This informs us that across the borough, there are currently 308 sets of roadworks – one for every five streets.
In Greenwich itself, there are currently 77 sets of roadworks (77!) of which 9 are defined as “high impact.” Some of these (like the ones that recently caused such trouble in the town centre) are the work of Southern Gas Networks, doing gas main replacement. But from the database, it looks like the people who have been digging up most of our side streets are… Greenwich Council.
Why, I still don’t know. I did ask them, naturally, but more for form’s sake than for anything else. I have long ago given up hope of getting any information out of the Greenwich Council press office, which could perhaps be replaced with an answerphone message saying “I am afraid I do not have the answer to that question” for a substantial saving of council taxpayers’ money. (Last week, they refused to tell me what they were spending on the Olympics legacy – a figure freely available from this week’s Greenwich Time.)
The other possibility, of course, is that Greenwich Council does not itself know why it is digging up our roads. This is not as implausible as it sounds. After all, so many of the council’s other actions (closure of the foot tunnel, Olympics in the park) seem to have been taken on the same basis.
What’s undeniable is that the current system for roadworks stinks. Setting aside the council, there are a large number of “statutory undertakers” – mostly water, gas, electricity and telecoms companies – who dig the majority of the holes in London’s endlessly-patched streets.
Contrary to popular belief, these companies do not have to get approval from anyone – least of all the local authority – to start work. With only a few exceptions, they have the right to dig up the roads whenever they want. They just have to give notice, and sometimes not even that in the case of work deemed “urgent” or “emergency.” There is little or nothing to stop different statutory undertakers – or even the same one – digging up the same street as soon as a previous dig has finished.
In July 2004, the Government passed the Traffic Management Act – which allowed local authorities to introduce “permit schemes” to regulate and co-ordinate roadworks. However, thanks to heavy lobbying from the utility companies, Whitehall for more than five years refused to allow local authorities to use the powers they had themselves granted. Only last month was the first permit scheme under the Act – for TfL and 18 London boroughs – finally approved by ministers. More sensible regulation of roadworks will probably be implemented only next year, a full six years after the legislation was passed.
There’s one other unfortunate fact, I’m afraid. Our borough is not among the 18 included the permit scheme (although Lewisham is, for the benefit of our more southerly readers.) Greenwich is in fact in the last wave of London councils on this issue, having not yet made up its mind when it wants a permit scheme at all.
Whether through carrying out its own mystery roadworks, or failing to regulate other people’s, Greenwich will continue to be the borough with too many holes in the road for some time to come.
Some budgets are granted on a “use it or lose it next year” basis. Maybe they are digging up the roads so next year’s road digging budget is not decreased.
I vaguely remember getting a notice several months ago saying that the new development on the Greenwich High Road required power lines to be laid. The trench does seem to be headed that way; down Royal Hill accross South street and down Ash Grove before turning right onto Egerton Drive.
I don’t know about Croom Hill but the workers on Royal Hill/Greenwich South Street have been working from the early hours until late in the evening. On that basis alone, I’d assume it’s something relatively important but I’d be interested to know for sure.
I suggest a street party be organised for the first day when Greenwich Town Centre is clear of road works in a 0.5 mile radius of St Alfeges.
I have always liked your writings. However this time I am a little cross with you, and am going to give you a small telling off. So I hope you are sitting comfortably.
You are no doubt wondering why. Simple really this paragraph
“No road appears too insignificant to be turned into a trench. And rather like the Jehovah’s Witnesses with new converts, no road completed is seen as simply an achievement in itself – but more as a God-given opportunity to dig up the next one.”
That is an unkind and unfair statement and beneath a man of your standing.
I have to ask you what was the need for this?
Your an accomplished writer, award winning, insightful, witty and highly intelligent. I find it rather odd that you would say such a thing.
While many people, may well find the “WITNESSES” annoying at times, there is no doubt that they are peaceful, respectful and happy people’s who just want to spread the word of God as they see him; and do go away with a polite no thank you. So to use them to embellish your report was in my opinion and little unfair of you and I can only assume that you had a headache or writers block when you wrote that.
But please these are a religious group of people who live quite peaceful lives and while they may knock on our doors from time to time, they never do so without respect or politeness, something that was slightly lacking in your writings. And before you go thinking, “I bet she is one of them”, I’m not, I just feel that you wouldn’t have said such a thing about other religious groups and that maybe it would be a good idea to leave religious groups out of your writings, unless off course you are writing about religion.
Any way you are in the words of Monty Python, ” a very naughty boy”.(Life of Brian)
Consider your normal good self told off.
It’s a cult, just like scientology.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are noted for their chief doctrine that Jesus had his second coming in 1914 and going door to door with Watchtower magazines,google * Jehovah’s Witnesses Watchtower * for facts on this group.
The whole door to door thing is risky now-days and less effective in the Internet age,I google everything first. Jehovah’s Witnesses are schooled in ‘finding common ground’,if you like pink elephants they will become experts on pink elephants.
That’s the beauty of religion and superstition, it has no limits.Religion is the most profitable legal business because religions can misquote, misrepresent, and use unethical practices without fear of punishment. It’s the absolute best way to scam people I have yet seen.
I said that the people digging up my roads were cults.
I’ve dealt a lot with Greenwich Council over the years and I share your observations on their traffic planning and road maintenance efforts, but road works are just part of the picture. Their lack of common sense and their ability to twist DfT guidelines are just beyond belief. I’ve also often found that they hide their plans and motivations and even some of their traffic monitoring reports have been declared secret, probably because they would have exposed inconvenient truths or dubious methods.
I think an independent review into their activities is required as they are wasting millions of pounds, creating unsafe roads (highly unconventional/illogical traffic arrangements, rat runs past schools, insufficient pedestrian crossings where they would be needed, poorly planned cycle routes etc.) and making people’s daily lives a misery.
I don’t drive so don’t get so irate with all this road digging up – although I am a reformed driver, so maybe that makes me worse – but I’m struggling to find the justification/rationale/sense for day, sorry, night, two of roadworks on the A2. It’s 12.43am and my flat is literally shaking. Who on earth approved this joke? No doubt it will go on all week, much to the detriment of my work colleagues!!